Restoration of course will compiment present and past

A redesign at Scotscraig will return the layout back to its original specifications.

Published:11:05Tuesday 14 June 2016

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Scotscraig Golf Club is set to return to its original specifications in time for its 200th anniversary.

The club was founded in 1817 and is the world’s 13th oldest golf club, boasting an 18-hole championship course originally laid out by James Braid.

The ambitious restoration programme will see all of the course’s green-side and fairway bunkers returned to their original size with many being substantially expanded.

With additional on-course alterations being completed in tandem with extensive gorse removal, this is the biggest such project undertaken by the club which is situated in between St Andrews and Carnoustie.

“The amount of work carried out in the last 15 months has been substantial,” noted George Anderson, Scotscraig’s vice captain.

“The conclusion of the current programme will be later this year when all the remaining fairway bunkers will be returned to their original dimensions.

“We’re bringing Scotscraig back to what it used to be – we’re re-establishing the course.”

The first phase of the project involved rebuilding 21 green-side bunkers and a comprehensive redesign, rebuild and expansion of the fourth green and its associated sand trap which are both now open for play.

Stage two will see 26 fairway and approach bunkers rebuilt in time for the club’s double centenary celebrations next year.

The far-reaching restoration project is, as a consequence, as much to do with reviving James Braid’s ingenious design as it is about future-proofing a much-loved course and one of Scotland’s true hidden gems.

“Although the work is extensive, we are also mindful of the club’s history and what the course looked like in years gone by,” said Anderson.

“At the same time, we are undertaking a modern development to maintain the challenge of the layout.

“Scotscraig is a championship course with an extraordinary history and an exciting future.”

At the centre of these comprehensive alterations is Chris Barnard; Scotscraig’s course manager who took up the post in March 2015.